


Never Say Never

by DarkAbyss



Category: Supernatural
Genre: M/M, Missing Scene, Season 05 - 06 Hiatus, Supernatural Rare Pair Big Bang 2016, spoiler - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-23
Updated: 2016-05-23
Packaged: 2018-06-10 05:57:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,026
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6942556
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DarkAbyss/pseuds/DarkAbyss
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Missing scene, set in between the end of Season 5 and the Start of Season 6. With Sam in the Cage and Dean living away from the hunting life in Indiana, Bobby is left alone to deal with the aftermath of an averted Apocalypse and with his still vain attempts to get his soul back from a certain demon, who seems to enjoy invading the quiet of his house far too often. And maybe both the hunter and the new King of Hell will have to admit that none of them minds their little game so much, after all.</p><p>Written for the 2016 Rare Pair Big Bang, art by nonexistenz.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Never Say Never

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Nonexistenz](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nonexistenz/gifts).



> This is the first time I join a Big Bang and I'm truly excited to see the outcome!
> 
> A very special thank you goes to the great artist who drew the fan arts for my short story, [nonexistenz](http://nonexistenz.tumblr.com/)! [Here](http://nonexistenz.tumblr.com/post/144813998697/part-of-the-rare-pair-big-bang-2016-title-never) and [here](http://archiveofourown.org/works/6745186) you can find the art related to this fanfiction.  
> Check out her other works too, because she's really amazing!
> 
> Enjoy!

 

It was a quiet sunny morning. The sky was clear for the first time in days and the sunrays warmed up the wet soil, slowly drying it. During previous week it had rained almost every day, turning the earth into mud and flooding the fields. Even the asphalt had started to crack under the seemingly endless pouring water. However, no one had complained too much about the awful weather, not after the wave of disasters that had devastated the whole country during the previous months and that had, luckily, stopped as suddenly as they had started.

Bobby lifted his eyes from the shotgun he was cleaning, letting them lingering on the window for a brief while. Almost two months had passed since when Sam had thrown himself in Lucifer’s Cage and Dean had given up hunting, disappearing somewhere in Indiana. Of course, the idijt had never lifted the phone to give him a call since then, but he couldn’t blame him, not completely at least. He missed the boy, both of them actually, but he knew that Dean was trying hard to rebuild his life far away from whom he had been raised to be. And the best way to do it was to burn every bridge that linked him to his past self and life, no matter how painful was. As for Sam, the man tried very hard not to think about him and about what he could be suffering, locked away as he was at the complete mercy of two angelic bastards.

He sighed, adverting his gaze away from the sky. Pretending that nothing had changed was easier when he was on a job or when he was offering back up to some other hunter. He had even started hunting with Rufus again recently, and he would be lying to himself if he had stated that he didn’t like being back side by side with his old partner. They made a good team, in spite of their history and the contrast they still had from time to time. It was nice to be able to go back to the past, to the time when he didn’t have to worry about angels and apocalypses yet, when the demons were just the sons of a bitch they were and weren’t planning to unleash the Devil on Earth. Back then everything was simpler, even if not so much easier.

So hunting was good for him. The real problems started when he was home alone, not chasing after some monsters and not playing the role of someone’s chief on the phone. In those moments thinking about what had happened, about what had changed became almost impossible. It was then that he felt all the burden of his years, of all the losses he had been forced to face, of all the regrets he had. Sam and Dean were just a small part of it, but they were, together with his wife’s death, the ones that hurt the most.

Bobby let out another sigh, shaking his head, and turned his his attention back on the weapon. He couldn’t help thinking that those gloomy moods made him sound like an old fool. And maybe he was one after all, a little voice sang in the back of his head, making him snort. He should really stop letting his mind wander wherever it wanted and focus on what he was doing. Or he could leave that poor shotgun alone for a while and pour himself a glass of something strong. He mused about the choice for a moment. The latter option was definitely the best idea, even if his liver would surely disagree loudly.

He rested the weapon on the top of desk and got up, heading towards the kitchen to grab a clean glass. He had spent the first days after Dean had left tidying up the whole house and now it was almost as clean as it used to be when Karen was still around. He had wanted to consider stopping the Apocalypse a fresh start, at least for them, since almost all the rest of the world hadn’t even acknowledged what they had accomplished. However he knew very well the sacrifices, the blood and the lives that the whole mess had cost and he didn’t want them to be vain. It was a symbolic way to underline the fact that a little something had changed, that the planet wasn’t simply going on as if it was untouched by the horrors and the sorrow it had seen.

He picked up the half-full bottle of scotch that was rested on a wooden cabinet as he walked back in the living room. He considered sitting once again at his desk, but in the end decided against it and leaned against the back of the couch. He still disliked staying seated for too much time, not after all the weeks he had spent in a wheelchair. The memories of the feeling of being unable to do most of the things that should have been easy troubled him, even now at times. And he had been forced to admit that, if it hadn’t been for that damned demon, he would still be paralyzed and fighting with the sense of uselessness. Considering how quickly Castiel had disappeared from their lives after having been resurrected at the end of the last battle, he doubted that the angel would have bothered to stop to heal him. Not that he was complaining. At least he had taken the time to bring him back to life.

He rolled his eyes and took a sip of his drink. He didn’t know why Crowley had added that clause in their contract. It could be because the demon had wanted to prove them that he was on their side, to gain a little of their trust, or maybe to make sure that they wouldn’t try to end him as soon as he had given everything he could offer them. Or perhaps the creature had other mysterious reasons and the hunter would never know them. But one thing was sure: he hadn’t believed that the demon had done that out of plain generosity, not even for a moment. Ally or not, Crowley was from Hell, and nothing that came from the Pit was ever good. He and the boys had made the mistake to allow a demon the benefit of the doubt once, with Ruby, and they had all seen how that had turned out. He surely wasn’t to fall for that again.

In fact, he had been proved right when he had summoned the bastard more than a month and half ago to get his soul back, just to receive a refusal and have a close meeting with a huge hellhound as an answer. He had been tricked, not that the news had surprised him that much. Crowley was a not only a demon, but also a freaking bureaucrat. Human ones were terrible, and hellish ones were obviously even worse. And yet, he was still really grateful for that unexpected gift at the time, as he had been on the moment, in spite of everything. He had resigned to the perspective of never lying his feet on the floor again and instead now he was back standing. He would have called it a miracle if he hadn’t known who was behind it. And perhaps it was better that way. He had learnt very well that the presents from Heaven were almost never free. At least when dealing with a demon you usually were informed of the price you had to pay.

The hunter emptied the glass and put it next to the bottle, resisting the temptation to fill it again. He had better find something productive to do. There had to be a case somewhere, there was always. Perhaps he could give Rufus a ring and see if he had some job to do. He was sure that he would be able to persuade the other man to let him tag along.

He turned around to reach for the phone, but he stopped, finding himself face to face with a smirking Crowley. Bobby took one step back, caught off guard, his hand instinctively reaching for the gun secured to his hip, making the grin on the demon’s face widen.

“Hello, Robert,” the creature greeted in a fake, sweet tone. “So, have you planned how you’re going to spend your last ten years before joining me in Hell?”

“What the hell are you doing here, you son of a bitch?” The man exclaimed, ignoring the mockery in the other’s voice. He moved forward again, regaining the space he had lost because of the surprise, and shoved the gun under the demon’s chin. “Unless you’ve changed your mind about my soul, you really should leave. Otherwise I might decide that killing you is more satisfying that get it back. Or are you here with your overgrown puppy again?”

“I take it as a “no”. And I understand that you’re still pissed at me after our last discussion,” Crowley mumbled, gently pushing the gun away from his neck. He didn’t seem to be completely unaffected by the threats he had just received. “I’m sorry to inform you that I’m not going to change my mind any time soon, darling. A soul like yours is a rare thing to find, I won’t give it up so easily.” He slid backwards a bit, putting some distance between the two of them. “Would you mind putting that thing away? I don’t want you to ruin another one of my suits. And don’t worry, we’re alone. I left Growley at home today, since you’ve looked so distressed by him last time. But don’t forget that he knows your smell, so you’ve better behave with me if you don’t want to see him again.”

The hunter slowly lowered the gun, his reluctance evident, but didn’t put it away. “I’ll say it again. Get out. I don’t care about why you’re here. Whatever you’ve got to do or say, I don’t want to hear it. Just get the hell out of my property. Literally,” he said slowly, but his tone was still low and threatening. “You have two choices. Either you go on your own or I’m making you.”

The demon held his arms up, amused by the hostility. “Relax, darling. I brought a peace offer! I don’t like leaving my customers upset, especially the ones who’ve brought me such great advantages,” he stated in a conversational tone, waving a hand. “So, why don’t you get another glass for me and we have that drink you offered me last time?”

Bobby kept on staring at the creature, not sparing a glance at the scotch bottle that he was now offering him. “Let me guess. Thirty-years-old Craigh, isn’t it?” he asked with a snort, rolling his eyes slightly. “Do you really think that some good brand can stop me from getting what’s mine back?”

The King of Crossroads looked impressed for a second. “You remembered,” he commented in a more serious tone, his gaze becoming more intense for a moment. Then his voice became light and playful again. “Oh, I’m not so naive, my dear. But I’ve guessed that you wouldn’t follow my suggestion and start drinking something better, so I provided it for you.” He moved the bottle a little forward, opening his arms slightly. “Come on, Robert. Just a drink. And then we can go back at being old grumpy enemies.”

The hunter glared hard at the creature for some long moments, but in the end he let out a heavy sigh and put the gun back in its place. That was clearly an awful choice, but he was not in the mood to keep a fight up. “I have a feeling that I’m going to regret this…But fine. You can stay,” he agreed reluctantly. The demon would have gone on insisting until he gave up, so it was better cut it short and not give him the pleasure to exasperate him until he would give up. “But just for _one_ drink. Got it?”

Crowley nodded solemnly and followed him in the kitchen, keeping a couple of steps away after having received a growl of warning from the human when he had tried to reach out for him. He hid another smirk at that, but didn’t comment. It would have been fun if the other hadn’t agreed so fast. He would have kept on teasing and poking the man until he had resigned to allow him to stay.

However, he wasn’t completely disappointed by not having given the chance to. He had spent the last weeks fighting and dealing with a bunch of idiotic demons who still didn’t want to give up and bow to him, even knowing that Lucifer was locked away in his Cage for the good and unable to get out of it ever again. Hell was a mess since the missed Apocalypse and of course, he was standing in the middle of it. Things were getting better, but he still had a long way to walk before being able to gain full power over the hellish race. He needed a break. The whole affair was deadly tiring and the fact that he had never been a patient man wasn’t helping.

“So… _Growley_?” Bobby’s voice asked, interrupting the trail of his thoughts. The hunter raised an eyebrow at him, opening the new bottle. “Really?”

“I find it quite…appropriate for my boy,” the demon answered with a shrugged. He accepted the glass that was offered him with a small nod. “He growls all the time and he _loves_ me.”

“You sick selfish egomaniac,” the human snorted, shaking his head, but his tone carried a small hint of amusement. “I really shouldn’t be surprised.”

“I agree, you really shouldn’t.” The King of Crossroads watched the man going to lean against the kitchen counter before taking a seat at the table. “You’re smart for a human, Bobby. We haven’t seen each other much, but I have the feeling that you’ve got to know me quite well, haven’t you? But, of course, not as much as _I_ know _you_.”

“Oh, I’m sure that you can see straight into my soul,” Bobby said sarcastically, gulping down a big sip of liquor. He had to admit that it was really good. The creature had great tastes when it came to drinks.

The demon noticed the satisfied glimpse in the other’s eyes and grinned a bit more widely. “You like it, don’t you?” He asked candidly, playing with his own glass. “I can make sure that you’ll have all the bottles you need from here to the day of your death. You just need to give me the right incentive. Oh, and, by the way, I’m starting to like that bitter, sarcastic humour of yours.”

The hunter shot him a nasty look, showing that he clearly hadn’t appreciated the compliment. “So you weren’t lying before. You’re really here just for drinking and _flirting_ ,” he commented, tone once again heavy with sarcasm. “God help me!”

“Don’t call for the Almighty, dear. I think we’re on the same page when I say that He won’t show His face here any time soon. Besides, you know that He’s not exactly the type to help people out, don’t you?” Crowley offered him a seductive smirk and winked. He had always been into complex plotting and double-crossing, but he also enjoyed these little games when he had the right person to play with. “And why should you call for Him when you already have the Devil at your service?”

The human snorted again, the corner of his lips lifting up a bit. The demon was an asshole and he hated him, but he could be a good company from time to time. Especially when he wasn’t around tricking people and stealing souls. “Cut the crap, Crowley. You’re getting awfully cheesy. Why don’t you tell me how things are going downstairs instead? I’ve bumped into some of you bastards just once in the last two months.”

The King of Crossroads held a hand against his chest. “Oh, you wound me, Robert! I thought you enjoyed my attentions!” He exclaimed theatrically. “But of course you prefer talking about work. It’s not good for you at your age. You should give yourself a bit more of spare time, darling.”

The hunter’s face darkened a little. “If you stop playing the part of worried wife, which really doesn’t suit you, and answer my question, maybe I’ll pretend not to have noticed you calling me _old_.”

“I didn’t. Not openly,” the creature stated matter-of-factly, but he just received another murderous look as an answer, so he decided to do as he had been told. “Hell is…in a quite problematic situation. There are so many idiots, and all of them are freaking out. Others have simply gone wild. And some cowards hid away. There are very few ones of us who knows what has to be done.”

Bobby waved the glass in his speaker’s direction. “And you’re obviously one of them.”

Crowley rolled his eyes. “Of course I am. I’ve planned this since the very beginning of the Apocalypse, after choosing to bet on your boys. If everything goes as smoothly as it should, I’ll get myself a big promotion very soon.”

The hunter stopped the hand that holding his glass mid-way to his mouth. “Wait a moment. Don’t tell me that you’re planning to exploit the former king’s fall to take his place?” He questioned astonished. “You’re even more ambitious than I thought. Or maybe just much more reckless.”

Crowley smirked. “I told you you were smart!” He mocked, but his tone was playful. “And why not? I have the right qualities and the right allies to make it. I’m not reckless. I’ve been thinking this through for some time now. It’s all planned.” He raised his eyebrows slightly. “Besides, better me than some other demon, don’t you agree?”

The hunter found himself forced to nod, even if he didn’t even try to hide his reluctance. “I guess so. You’re the evil we know.”

The King of Crossroads joined his fingertips before his face. “Exactly. Now, since you were complaining about not having had the chance to hunt down enough demons…What if I gave you names and places where you might find some good cases?”

Bobby raised an eyebrow, almost amused. That conversation was getting more and more absurd with the passing time. And yet he didn’t feel pressured to cut it short. “Are you hiring me to get rid of your enemies?”

“Let’s say I’m giving you the chance to call a favour on me,” the demon rephrased with a shrug. “Not enough to have your soul back, but it could turn out to be useful anyway one day, don’t you agree?”

The man remained thoughtful for a moment, considering the offer. Why the hell not? It was always hunting after all. And, besides, if the creature was really going to claim the crown of the Pit for himself, he could use to have some sort of influence on him. “If you put it this way, then…I’m all ears.”

Crowley’s lips turned up in a pleased smile and he slowly took a sip from his glass, before starting to talk. The human grabbed small notebook and sat down in front of him, listening carefully and writing down a few notes. If he had to take up that job he could as well do it properly.

The King of Crossroads hummed quietly, delighted by the attention he was receiving, and slowly started to insert unnecessary information in his reports, mostly tales about Hell and insulting anecdotes about his opponents. Gradually the conversation went from pure business to more relaxed and casual subjects almost without the two noticing it. The agreed one glass turned into many and the bottle of scotch was soon emptied, just to be replaced with a new one by a distracted motion of Crowley’s wrist.

The King of Crossroads leant a little forward, getting more comfortable in his chair. It had been a while since the last time he had felt so much at ease with someone. Casual conversations weren’t something usual in a demon’s routine. Not to mention how difficult it was for him to find an interesting interlocutor. His kind wasn’t famous for good speakers and cultured individuals, even if things had started to change in the last centuries. He personally found most demons boring. The humans instead, in spite of their being so fragile and emotional, were much better when it came to talking. They were more fun. And this one, in particular, had attracted his interest, even if he wouldn’t have been able to say why, exactly.

Bobby, unaware of the other’s thoughts, emptied his umpteenth glass and glanced at the clock. Almost three hours had passed since when the creature had appeared in his living room. And he hadn’t even realised it. “Haven’t I said that you could stay just for one drink only?” He pointed out, exploiting a pause in his speaker’s speech. He didn’t exactly felt bothered by the creature’s presence, but he still had to keep appearances up. Besides be couldn’t forget that, despite the pleasant conversation, the bastard still had his soul. “We’ve drunk a whole bottle, and more. Well, you have. I just helped a little. But that’s not the point. You’re still here.”

“I needed more than one drink then, apparently,” the King of Crossroads said in a flat tone, with a shrug. “All this…politics is exhausting. But I guess that I’ve taken advantage of your hospitality for too long. Even though I haven’t heard you complaining about my company until now.”

“Sure you have,” the hunter agreed, ignoring the last comment, but his tone lacked the determination that it should have shown. He put down his empty glass and got up from his chair. “Well, you know the way out.”

The demon smirked, finishing his liquor, and then stood in turn, taking a couple of steps around the table to be able to reach the human and to stop right in front of him. “What do you say? Should we kiss goodbye, darling?” He asked, teasingly, his eyes shining with a slightly reddish hue.

Bobby made a face. “Don’t you dare, demon! The one you gave me for the contract was more than…” he started to say in a slightly upset tone, but he couldn’t finish the sentence because, without warning, Crowley moved forward, too quick to be stopped, and the creature’s lips were pressed on his with force.

The man’s hands immediately shot up and landed on the demon’s shoulders, pushing hard enough to force him to break that contact. “What the hell! You damned idjit!” He exclaimed incredulous. He had learnt the hard way how inclined to tricks and games the other was, but that was too much even for him. “Are you out of mind?!”

The King of Crossroads snorted and didn’t even bother to answer, leaning forward instead again and exploiting the fact that he was much stronger than the human to resume the kiss. If there was something that he loved about his work as a crossroads demon was the reactions of most of his clients when they had to sign a contract. He usually made the kisses deeper and longer with the only purpose of mortifying them. That hadn’t exactly happened with the hunter, not during the act at least, but seeing it spluttering when he had shown the photo to the Winchesters had been a great satisfaction.

He bit back a smirk when felt the human’s body tensing against him, his amusement growing even more. Taking advantage of the Bobby’s surprise, he sneaked his arms around his neck, drastically reducing the man’s chances of managing to move away. He could feel the other trying to struggle in vain against his iron grip. They both knew that it was useless, but of course the hunter was too stubborn to give up. The grin threatened once again to blossom on his lips. He couldn’t say he had planned what was happening, not entirely at least, but he was enjoying the whole situation. Both the hunter’s shocked reactions and the sensation of their limbs tangled were exhilarating.

Crowley chuckled into the kiss at the umpteenth vain attempt of the hunter to push him away, but he stopped abruptly as he felt something suddenly changing in the other’s attitude. One moment later fingers were gripping hard on his hips and, before he could overcome his astonishment, his back hit the counter with violence. He let out a small, surprised gasp that turned into a moan as Bobby started to kiss him back roughly.

The hunter didn’t waste any time and exploited the creature’s temporary hesitation to sneak his tongue in the demon’s mouth, as he had done when they had stipulated the contract. Only that this time the contact lasted much longer and had no ulterior motive. He had sincerely no idea of what he was doing and why, but he was sure that he would freak out if he had allowed himself to reflect on the fact that he, a _hunter_ , was making out with a _demon_. A demon who had stolen his soul and who apparently would become the next Ruler of Hell, among the other things.

The King of Crossroads smirked a little before pushing back, loving the feeling of the hot, wet muscle ravishing his mouth. He usually was the one dominating and ordering around, but in that moment he found himself wishing nothing but to let the other devouring him. It was a weird thought, something he hadn’t considered for a while, but it didn’t disturb him. Quite the contrary. He took a mental note to analyze the whole affair later, in the quietness of one of his houses. It wasn’t really the case right now. Both because he was quite busy with the situation at hand and because he had a reputation that he needed to preserve, especially in a delicate moment as the one he was going through. He was running for the crown of Hell, after all.

When they parted, the human was out of breath and even the demon was panting slightly. They stared at each other in silence for a while, absorbing what had just happened. Then Bobby coughed awkwardly in the attempt to clear his throat, taking a small step back, and Crowley couldn’t help snickering quietly.

“Now, wasn’t that lovely?” The creature commented, amused, but there was no trace of his usual harsh mockery in his voice. His eyes were fixed on the hunter, a hint of deep ill-concealed interest shining in the dark orbs. “I should really consider to come to visit you more often. Who knows what could happen if I find you in a very, very happy mood! What do you think, love?”

“I think that you should really piss off, demon,” the man answered in a harsh tone, but he couldn’t bring his eyes to meet the other’s figure. Among his irritation, the uneasiness was evident, but those weren’t the only emotions twirling in his gaze. When he that the demon wasn’t showing any intention to move from his spot, he rolled his eyes and spoke, in a firmer tone: “Come on. Fuck off, Crowley! Don’t make me exorcise you.”

The demon held his hands up in surrender at the threat, even if he didn’t believe at all that the man would have carried it out, even if he had refused to leave him. He was always careful not to try his luck too much. “Very well, dear. No need to get all worked up. As you wish,” he agreed in an obliging tone. However, before actually doing as he had been told, he quickly leant forward and pressed a brief kiss on the hunter’s lips. He smirked widely at the murderous glare that he received. “I’ll see you again very soon, Robert Singer. I think that now I have one more reason to hold tight on your soul!”

Bobby cursed loudly and reached out to shove the creature, but Crowley was gone before he could reach him and his fingers met only thin air. He was left staring at the empty space in front of him, where the demon had been standing until a few moments before, not really knowing what to do with himself. He had almost expected to see the other’s smirk lingering in the air as the grin of the Cheshire Cat, together with a pair of shining blood-red eyes.

“Damn. Balls!” He ended up muttering under his breath several seconds later, running a hand in his hair. He wasn’t sure of what had just happened between him and the demon, but he surely didn’t want to think about it. Neither in that moment nor in a million of years. During the lifetime he had spent working as a hunter, he had learnt that, at times, it was better to leave some issues unsolved and some questions unanswered, at least until it was possible. The results that one might get investigating them could turn out to be more problematic than the issues themselves. That particular turn of events was obviously one of those occasions and so he quickly shoved away the part of him that had already started to analyze the facts. It wasn’t worth the trouble, he had better let it be until the next time the problem would present itself to him. Which would have been very soon, if he believed Crowley’s last words.

He rolled his eyes and headed back to the living room, where his weapons still waited to be cleaned, murmuring insults and curses to Hell and life in general, but he didn’t manage to wipe off the small smile that had blossomed on his face. And, deep down, he couldn’t help admitting that he would have lied if he had stated that he wasn’t a little bit eager to see the demon again.


End file.
